Family Tradition
by Random SUA Dreamer
Summary: On his eleventh birthday, James Potter learns of a family tradition. He decides to continue it when he goes to Hogwarts. Do you want to know just what that tradition is? I'll tell you. Radical personality change.
1. Chapter 1

**James will be OOC in the first few chapters. There is a reason. Just wait a bit.**

James Potter walked into his bedroom at nine 'o' clock on the 27th of March. His eleventh birthday party had just ended. He had had fun with his friends, though they hadn't been able to go outside like they wished because of rain.

He looked at the foot of his bed. Sitting there was a wrapped present. That was weird. He thought he'd gotten all of his presents. He unwrapped it to reveal a dusty-looking leather-bound book. He opened it, wondering what it could be. A note in his mother's handwriting fluttered to the floor. He saw the same handwriting inside. He slammed the book shut. He didn't think his mother would appreciate him reading something she wrote in what looked like a journal. But, it had been wrapped... He decided to read the note. Maybe that would tell him what to do.

_James, I decided to give this to you. It was given to me at my own eleventh birthday. It details a tradition in our family. Once starting at Hogwarts, we change the way we act towards others. You could call it a personality change. If you decide to continue the tradition, please write your experiences in this journal. It's quite fun to go back over it later in life, and also, it is a wonderful thing for the next generation. If you want to read all the entries, come tell me. I'll give you the older journals._

A small smile came across his face as he read her note. He wasn't quite sure if he would do it, or how his personality would change, but it certainly sounded interesting. He picked up the journal and began to read.

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><p>His mother's entries did end up amusing him greatly. It was a thick journal, so he also had the opportunity to read about his grandfather's adventures. He ended up reading until midnight. He did like to read, but he usually didn't get so caught up that he didn't notice the time passing. It was a nice but strange feeling. He hadn't quite gotten through his grandfather's entries when he fell to sleep.<p>

The next morning, he woke up and headed down to eat breakfast. When he had finished, he asked his mother for the other journals. He put them in his room before heading out to play with his friends. By the end of the day, he had decided to go through with the family tradition. Hogwarts, watch out.

**This is just a prologue. The other chapters will be longer. Also, it's my birthday! I'm fourteen! I feel really stupid after writing that, but oh well!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long, but I've been crazy busy, and I forgot about the story, and like my sister, Liberty Girl In the Sky, I have bipolar disorder which makes it hard to update often.**

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><p>James had decided that he would follow the family tradition, but he had yet to think of what he wanted it to be. He started reading his grandfather's journal, hoping to get some inspiration. Finishing the first journal available to him, an idea started to form.<p>

After reading the last page, he headed outside to play with some friends. Most of his friends lived in his neighborhood, or went to school with him. There weren't many purebloods who went to school before Hogwarts,- usually their parents homeschooled them or they just didn't learn it- but James's parents had wanted him to grow up around Muggles. They hadn't wanted him to grow into the prejudices purebloods often had.

Later, after going back inside, he asked his mother for the next journal. She got it for him and, smiling, asked if he was planning to follow the tradition. He nodded and grinned widely.

"I haven't decided what I'm going to do for it though. Not yet, anyway."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something." Handing him the second journal, she added. "This is your great-grandmother's. She's the only one who wrote in it. I'm afraid your grandfather and I didn't write much in ours, as you've seen. Most of our family have filled around two thirds of their journals- and theirs were usually thicker! This one is one of my personal favorites. I think you might find some inspiration from it."

James smiled, grabbing the journal before heading up to his room.

"Don't forget! Dinner's in an hour!" His mother called after him. After reading the first few pages of his great-grandmother's journal, James realized what his mother meant about finding inspiration. His great-grandmother- who was apparently named Josephine- seemed to be a lot like him! The idea he'd had in the morning was starting to develop even more.

He found himself laughing over some of the things written, and very quickly realized that Josephine had had the same idea for her change. As he read, James became fairly sure that it was what he was going to do. He loved some of the situations that arose for his great-grandmother, and surely if she had been able to do it, he would as well!

He looked up and realized that it was time for dinner. Sitting down at the table, his father asked a question.

"Your mother's told me about this tradition in her family. I must say, it sounds quite interesting. Have you decided what you're going to do for it?"

"Yes. I have." A big grin split his face as he contemplated how to go about his plan.

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><p>If you didn't know him well, you might call James quiet and kind. These were not good descriptions. Certainly, he was a nice boy, but he wasn't one of those, always kind, never rude, helping everyone people. He helped people, but he didn't really go out of his way to help. And he certainly wasn't quiet, at least, not once you got to know him.<p>

He was a little shy when he first met people, something that drove him crazy. After a while of knowing someone, he would be loud as was his true personality. But he just couldn't shake the worry of completely embarrassing himself at first meeting someone.

He had decided to try to let that go at Hogwarts. He wanted to be loud and crazy, known for being funny and ridiculous, instead of someone who would occasionally make his class laugh, but usually just became part of the background.

He decided to start working on his plan the next day at school. He was going to talk more, and make sure people heard him. He knew that he could make people laugh, he just needed to stop being so worried about embarrassing himself. That night, he decided to write his first journal entry. He went to his mother and explained that he needed a journal; his mother's entries had started halfway through and gone until the last page.

She laughed a little when she realized that she had forgotten to give him his journal. She went to a bookshelf- the same one that held the earlier journals. She pulled out one that had the number 12 on the front cover.

"Here. I have them up to fifteen on this shelf. I doubt you'll fill that journal before the end of your seventh year, but you might, and some of us have gone on to write a bit about our lives after Hogwarts. Besides, when you marry and have your own children,"-James wrinkled his nose at the comment. He was eleven, he couldn't imagine ever having kids- "you'll know where to get a journal for them.

"It used to be that the journals were only passed down to the eldest child, but my sister also has some, and she wrote in one as well. If you have more than one child you can choose what you want to do."

After grabbing a quill, James sat down to write.  
><em>My name's James Potter. My mum told me about this family tradition, and I have decided on my personality change. I am a kind of shy kid, and I hate it. When I'm with my friends, that's not what I'm like at all. With them, I'm loud and funny. So that is what I'm going to do at Hogwarts. I'm going to be loud and outgoing all the time there. At least, I'm going to try to be.<em>

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><p><strong>Sorry it<em>'s<em> short! I'll try to update soon!**


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